estee wrote:Well, Isamu looks like the same species as Sanshobo, who is a bear according to his profile and Inazuma is a cat. At least to me.

That's still pretty easy to explain. Their father was a bear and their mother was a cat. That is if they haven't shown their father and mother before. I can't seem to recall. I believe Stan once said that boys would be the same animal as their father, and girls the same as the mother.

estee wrote:Well, Isamu looks like the same species as Sanshobo, who is a bear according to his profile and Inazuma is a cat. At least to me.

That's still pretty easy to explain. Their father was a bear and their mother was a cat. That is if they haven't shown their father and mother before. I can't seem to recall. I believe Stan once said that boys would be the same animal as their father, and girls the same as the mother.

estee wrote:Well, Isamu looks like the same species as Sanshobo, who is a bear according to his profile and Inazuma is a cat. At least to me.

That's still pretty easy to explain. Their father was a bear and their mother was a cat. That is if they haven't shown their father and mother before. I can't seem to recall. I believe Stan once said that boys would be the same animal as their father, and girls the same as the mother.

MikeM

Really? Neat.

And you know what they say, mixed marriages produce beautiful children...and I always thought Inazuma was a hottie.

Sheesh...am I a geek or what for finding a comic character attractive?

estee wrote:Well, Isamu looks like the same species as Sanshobo, who is a bear according to his profile and Inazuma is a cat. At least to me.

That's still pretty easy to explain. Their father was a bear and their mother was a cat. That is if they haven't shown their father and mother before. I can't seem to recall. I believe Stan once said that boys would be the same animal as their father, and girls the same as the mother.

MikeM

Really? Neat.

And you know what they say, mixed marriages produce beautiful children...and I always thought Inazuma was a hottie.

Sheesh...am I a geek or what for finding a comic character attractive?

Does anyone have a pic of Hama possesed by Jei? I'm so far behind on my Usagi, and I live in Kelowna, so even getting UY comics is a heinous task. But I have read the spoilers, and would like to see a picture of Hama/Jei.

After I read # 110, I checked and realized I hadn't read this one yet!

I figure we can conclude that Hama unlocked Senzo's cell, which was secured properly in the previous issue.

Killing Senzo only serves to help protect the identity of the new Jei host, assuming that's the idea, if the body isn't discovered. Even then Hama will probably never return to the temple, and that looks suspicious too. I suppose he has escaped now, and that's enough anyway.

kchishol1970 wrote:Even if there was some sign of Inazuma fighting to help Sanshobo's exorcism, that would have been better than nothing. But, Stan apparently couldn't be bothered to have that much class.

I think you might be making her out as weaker than she is shown. Jei mentions she has been resisting for months on p. 8 of # 106. And she gets some control in # 107. I suppose you would have preferred her to better understand what was happening in those moments of clarity too.

Then during the exorcism she was clearly already close to death, and probably had little consciousness left. That would explain no visible/audible resistance there. The priest says Jei escaped, not that he was driven out. So it isn't that she was rescued by someone else either or even asked for such help.

When Senzo escapes he tries to seek Sanshobo's help. This is what people do sometimes, man or woman.

Oh my god. He actually look like the original Jei! COOLIO!!! That pick of him bringing his spear down on some guy is probably the goriest thing I've ever seen in UY, but it looks hecka coolio! THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THE PIC!

I wasn't sure I was enjoying the story arc until now. This was a fantastic conclusion, full of drama, action, and suspense. However, I'm left with two troubling concerns:

1. Inazuma's death. I have no problem with her dying (wow. Did you read the rant in the letter column of #111?). However, I'm troubled that her death wasn't given more significance. We see her brother's troubled reaction, but he becomes the star of that scene rather than his dead sister. There's no reaction on the part of any of the other characters to what has happened. That bothers me. Inazuma was a great character. Her death should have somehow felt more tragic. Usagi should have had some sort of reaction -- either sadness at the loss of someone he was indebted to or admiration for the passing of a great swordswoman. Unlike the ranter in the letter column, I know Stan respects his female characters far more than most writers out there. They formidably hold their own and possess great presence and inner strength. But this ending for Inazuma felt hurried. She deserved a little more. Maybe even one more panel.

2. I've been puzzled by Jei for years now (in the best of ways). How could someone so evil believe that he is such an agent of good? Somehow, I've always been able to accept that, no matter what terrible things Jei did, he believed he did it for a higher good. So, when his newfound host reveals his duplicity, talking about using a "scapegoat" and pinning the blame on someone else, this completely messes with my understanding of Jei. Here's a guy who knows he's gotten away with doing something wrong. Heck, he's bragging about it. Sure, one could argue that he hasn't fully become Jei yet, but if you look at any of Jei's past transformations (going all the way back to early storylines like Circles), the transformation is pretty much instantaneous. As soon as the evil white eyes kick in, we're in full Jei mode. So I'm thrown by this.

Otherwise, this was an amazing conclusion to this storyline, and I'm so pleased that it's finally left Usagi and Gen together again, free to fight over pickles and shortcuts once more!

To me the reason the other character didn't make a bigger deal of Inazuma's death is because they wanted her dead in the first place.

As for Usagi, he did feel an obligation to help her, but he didn't really know her or what had happened to her since their last meeting.

And lots of people working to help the people have been know to have ulterior motives. There is corruption in the police, politics, medicine and the clergy. Human weakness. That's why he was taken over by Jei's spirit.

And that's why Inazuma was able to resist her possession. Essentially she wasn't corrupt. Just bloody. But she never killed any innocent people or wished them harm.

Unlike Shingen, Ikeda or even Spot, Inazuma is not even given the dignity to going down swinging and instead is only a mere doomed damsel in distress. Even if there was some sign of Inazuma fighting to help Sanshobo's exorcism, that would have been better than nothing. But, Stan apparently couldn't be bothered to have that much class.

I was eagerly waiting since the end of "Grasscutter" for Inazuma to be freed and learning to find her own life again while connecting with people who care for her. Instead, Sakai squandered a terrific character with so much potential for cheap pathos.

It's yet another kick in the teeth from Stan so soon after Tomoe's predicament that ticks me off and makes me question why I bother with this comic.

Tomoe came back in Senso, and in it, she still kicked BADWORD even with the arranged marriage for her, so don't feel too bad about it.

Ben wrote:Yes, both of those panels are pretty brutal. I've been afraid of Jei before, but I've never really hated him until this issue. I know he's a tragic figure in his own right, but after all the misery he inflicted on Inazuma, in addition to callously driving Senzo to madness and death, my sympathy is starting to erode.

Here's hoping Jei and Ibaraki receive their comeuppance someday.

Who's Ibaraki? Also, aren't you a fanboy of Noriko's? She breaks people physically and mentally all the time.